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Book Review of The Best of Margaret St. Clair

The Best of Margaret St. Clair
althea avatar reviewed on + 774 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


contents:
Introduction
Idris' Pig [âThe Sacred Martian Pigâ]
The Gardener
Child of Void
Hathor's Pets
The Pillows
The Listening Child
Brightness Falls from the Air
The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles [as by Idris Seabright]
The Causes [as by Idris Seabright]
An Egg a Month from All Over [as by Idris Seabright]
Prott
New Ritual [as by Idris Seabright]
Brenda
Short in the Chest [as by Idris Seabright]
Horrer Howce
The Wines of Earth [as by Idris Seabright]
The Invested Libido
The Nuse Man
An Old-Fashioned Bird Christmas
Wryneck, Draw Me

I picked this up after reading an anthology which included the story
"Brightness Falls From the Air." Its masterful portrayal of a
beautiful person of a race doomed by the cruel amusements of another,
and the one man who tries to save her, brought me to tears. And made
me wonder why on earth I had never heard of the author before. St.
Clair wrote most of the stories included here in the 40s and 50s (with
a few later ones included as well). "Brightness Falls From the Air" is
still my favorite, but all of these stories were good. Writers like
this really show that there was no excuse at all for some of the awful
sci-fi that was churned out in the so-called "Golden Age." These
stories are not only great sci-fi, but great literature: well-crafted,
insightful, and cuttingly dark.
Time to look up more of her writing...